For the Pennsbury school board, the summer months were chock full of lengthy discussions surrounding COVID-19 – how/when to bring students back to the buildings, what a successful online curriculum looks like, etc.
But during the virtual meeting on Thursday, Sept. 17, board members had additional matters on their plate.
In a vote of 6-3, the board approved the settlement of a lawsuit brought forth by the district’s former director of special education Cheryl Morett, who said she was unlawfully terminated in July 2019 “in retaliation for both the formal and informal complaints she made within the School District and for her EEOC Complaint,” as stated in the case file.
Morett began speaking out in early 2016, claiming assistant superintendent Dr. Donna Dunar referred to former Fallsington Elementary principal Brian Shaffer – a gay male married to an African American man – as a “crotchety gay guy” who “hated women.” She also made complaints to HR over the words “Free blacks” included in a free/reduced lunch presentation by Dunar; superintendent Dr. William Gretzula and board members Debbie Wachspress and Josh Waldorf repeatedly using the word “faggot;” and ongoing gender and racial discrimination. Morett gave her letter of resignation “due to ongoing harassment” and a “hostile work environment.”
While the details of the settlement had yet to be released when The Times went to print, board president TR Kannan said it was handled by an insurance company and no taxpayer funds were used. Wachspress, Waldorf and board member Christine Toy-Dragoni voted “no” to the settlement.
“I am being dismissed from the case and I admit no wrongdoing,” each announced.
Kannan added that the district also admits no wrongdoing.
“I am sorry to see people’s names being dragged into a baseless legal battle which takes our focus away from running the district,” he said in a previous statement. “Any claim that any District program or procedure harassed any District employee has no basis in truth … Ms. Morett resigned to take a new position with the Pottstown School District, and the District provided her with extended paid leave to aid in her transition.”
Also during the meeting, Gretzula announced that he will retire at the end of the academic year. Gretzula said he has been dealing with personal medical issues since January and, although his unnamed condition is not life-threatening, it forced him to consider the future.
Gretzula has served as Pennsbury superintendent for four and a half years, and named several initiatives as some of his proudest moments. These include implementation of a 1:1 Chromebook program and the appointment of Dr. Cherissa Gibson as the district’s first Director of Equity, Diversity and Education.
“I will look back on my time at Pennsbury as some of my favorite years in education,” Gretzula said.
Regarding COVID-19 and the first few weeks of remote learning, the board received a high volume of feedback about technological issues. According to Kannan, the IT department is swamped with over 100 requests for help daily.
The board’s new junior representative Adi Gaba brought to light some specific examples. District-issued Chromebooks freeze/crash if multiple tabs are open simultaneously, and teachers can see only a portion of the class in real time. Therefore, participation is limited to the students who appear on the teacher’s screen at the time a question is posed. Gaba suggested the Chrome extension Nod, which allows students to actively participate by raising a virtual hand. This notifies the teacher that they want to respond, even if they’re not on the teacher’s main screen.
In a pamphlet distributed to Pennsbury families, Gretzula lists tips to help the Chromebooks run more smoothly. These include limiting the number of open tabs to two; turning off the device completely each night; keeping it on a hard, flat surface rather than a bed so that it can properly ventilate; and, if a student is suddenly disconnected from Google Meet, they should try turning their camera off when they rejoin, which will use less power. Gretzula added that his cabinet will meet weekly to review parent/student feedback and move forward taking into consideration what is and isn’t working.
“We’re open-minded,” he said. “We don’t want to be defensive. We’re not trying to be perfect. But we do promise that we will do our very best, and we will listen and learn from all of you.”
Kannan echoed Gretzula’s sentiment when asked why Pennsbury doesn’t plan to offer hybrid classes until February.
“We made a decision to put a stake in the ground, honestly. Start school and allow parents to plan accordingly,” he said. “But we are open to any changes if the situation warrants it.”
Additionally, the board voted 8-1 to approve a revised athletic health and safety plan, which allows varsity sports to enter “Phase 4.” Low-risk sports (golf) will continue to compete; moderate-risk sports (field hockey) will continue to practice and compete; and high-risk sports (football) can begin contact activities in preparation for the team’s Oct. 2 home opener.
Schedules are being created for junior varsity teams. Middle schools will most likely compete in-house against each other, rather than against other districts. Winter sports will be discussed at the board’s Oct. 15 meeting.
For all sports, there is no locker room use and no spectators allowed. Football will be livestreamed on WBCB, and all others will be recorded and possibly live streamed by volunteer parents.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
